Breastfeeding for six months cuts risk of diabetes

Research finds a strong link between breastfeeding duration and lowered risk of developing diabetes

A study conducted by Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, the USA, analysing data collected over 30 years, has found that women who breastfed for six months or less had a 25% reduction in diabetes risk.

Said Erica P Gunderson, senior research scientist with the Kaiser Permanente, “We found a very strong association between breastfeeding duration and lower risk of developing diabetes, even after accounting for all possible confounding risk factors.”

The findings of the study, published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal, add to the growing body of evidence on the protective effects of breastfeeding for both mothers and babies, including lowering the mother’s risk of ovarian and breast cancer.